Plague part I
by otaku-chan2313
Summary: After a party, three college students wake up to a horrifying situation: the zombie apocalypse. With a little knowledge from Kayla, medical skills from Cameron, and hunting skills from Ben, they manage to leave campus and do their best to survive. Inspired by AMC's The Walking Dead
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Beginning of the End**

Kayla sighed. It was just another boring Friday night, and she had already exhausted her interest on Tumblr, YouTube and other various social media sites; being single most definitely sucked. With her laptop still balanced on her lap, she reached for the remote control and began to flip channels on the small TV that was on the dresser across from her. After finding nothing to her interest, she switched over to the news. _Maybe I can educate myself on any new developments in the world. _For a 17 year old, Kayla actually kept herself well informed about what was going on, not just in the state or the country, it was the world too.

"Our new story tonight," the news caster announced, "there seems to be very spontaneous…what looks like riots in Los Angeles. We're going to turn the story over to our reporter Jennifer. Jen, would you care to explain what's going on?"

"Yes, Carol. All day people have been attacking each other all throughout L.A. We're not quite sure if this is a drug or if this is a protest of some sort. We just don't know. There's a possibility that it could be linked to what has been happening on the east coast, but again the facts are not clear." Kayla began to bite her lip as she watched the video clips they were showing. People were definitely attacking each other all right, but something was off about some of the attackers. There were too many shots of people running to get a good view of the attackers, but Kayla knew something wasn't right. Unsatisfied, she began to do research on what was going on. _It's too coincidental…they have to be linked somehow. _Earlier that month, New York and much of the east coast had been quarantined due to a deadly virus outbreak; the CDC had officially stated that it was Ebola, but no one had heard from that side of the country since then. All flights and interstate travel had been suspended, as well as international travel and trade, sending the stock market to plummet. With the economy crash, it would make perfect sense that riots would be starting up throughout the Midwest and the west coast, but there was nothing spontaneous about it. Anyone that was paying attention could see that. Her laptop made a noise, startling her out of her thought process; someone was trying to reach her on Skype. She turned on her webcam and answered the video call, revealing two boys on the other end. They were her best friends: Cameron and Ben.

"Hey, girl!" they screamed, making Kayla giggle.

"Hey, guys! What's up?"

"Are you still on campus?" Ben asked.

"Yeah. I didn't have anything better to do, so I'm in my dorm."

"Studying?"

"No, Cam, plotting world domination," she rolled her eyes, "what else, smarts?" Cameron narrowed his eyes at her, not thrilled with her sense of sarcasm.

"Kayla, you _have_ to get out of your dorm room! You know, have something called fun! Party it up!"

"I would except for two problems: one, I can't go clubbing yet, and two, my car is in the shop." Ben shrugged.

"We'll get you."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Why not?" Kayla glanced at the clock in the bottom corner of her screen.

"I don't know….it's getting kind of late." Cameron looked at his watch.

"It's only 9:30!"

"I just….I don't feel comfortable going out tonight. There's a lot of stuff going on-"

"If you're talking about the riots in LA," Ben interrupted, "I got a news flash for you, honey: we're pretty far from LA. We go to school in the middle of nowhere. Nothing that exciting happens here." Kayla thought for a moment and sighed.

"How soon will you guys be here?"

"That's my girl," Cameron grinned.

"We'll be over in about five to ten minutes. Sound good?"

"Yeah," she smiled, "See you in a few."

"See you," Ben smiled, ending the video call. The two boys sat there for a minute, staring at the blank screen.

"Don't you even _think _about what I told you earlier," Ben growled.

"I didn't say anything," Cameron remarked, shrugging, "That's your deal. But if you do anything to hurt her, I'll kick your ass."

"C'mon, Cam," Ben pulled on his jacket and grabbed his keys, "I'm not that type of guy."

Kayla shivered and bounced on her toes in an attempt to keep warm. Her jacket was meant for colder weather, but somehow the wind managed to seep through. She had been standing outside for a few minutes and the boys were past their expected arrival time. _Where the hell are they? _She was suddenly greeted by headlights as Ben's car rounded the corner; she smiled as he slowed to a stop in front of her. As she reached for the door handle, Ben tapped the gas making the car pull forward a few inches. The two boys laughed as she smacked his car, opened the door, and climbed in.

"Assholes!"

"I'm sorry," Ben chuckled, "I couldn't waste an opportunity like that."

"Yeah, whatever," she leaned forward and hugged them, "Don't do it again."

"I can't promise you that," he smirked, squeezing her hand.

"Buckle up!" Cameron commanded as she sat back in her seat, "I want to get going!"

"Jesus, did you meet a hot guy that was going to be there or something?" Ben teased as they drove off.

"No, I just want to party."

"Where are we going?" Kayla asked.

"There's a party going on by my dorms. I want to say it's a frat, but I really don't know." He was stopped at a traffic light and looked at her in his rearview mirror. "Do you want a bodyguard?"

"I'm a big girl, I'm pretty sure I can take care of myself," she scoffed, looking back at him, "but thank you for the offer." He smiled and returned his attention to the road. A while later, Ben had found a parking spot and the trio was making their way up a hill.

"I hear music playing!" Cameron exclaimed.

"Are you sure you didn't meet someone?"

"Shut up, Ben! We get free drinks and aren't going to be carded."

"Oh, you have a point there." Kayla shook her head and smiled; there was never a dull moment with those two. The bass frequencies got stronger as they continued their trek. When they reached the top, they saw a sea of people all sporting fraternity or sorority gear.

"You were right! It is a frat!" Kayla shouted over the music.

"Do you think they'll call the cops?!"

"What?!"

"DO YOU THINK THEY'LL CALL THE COPS?!"

"There's that possibility!" Cameron answered, "It happened to me once!"

"Really?! You didn't tell me that!" Kayla shouted at him.

"I'm sure I did! You probably just don't remember! Come on!" Cameron led the two younger students down the hill and located where the drinks were. He grabbed three Solo cups and poured various drinks into each of them.

"Here!" he handed a cup to Kayla and Ben.

"What's in this?"

"Uh…" Cameron swirled his drink around, "some vodka….a bit of wine…there may or may not be Jaeger in there…I don't remember what else I put in there. Kayla, don't drink from the punch bowl! It's probably spiked!"

"I'm not stupid, Cam!"

"Salud!" Ben held up his cup and the other two bumped their cups with his.

"Whoa!" Kayla exclaimed after she had taken a sip, "It burns!"

"Lightweight," Cameron muttered.

"Excuse me?"

"I didn't say anything." The trio tried to stay together for a majority of the night, but Cameron disappeared at one point and left a window open for Ben to dance with Kayla.

"I suck at dancing!" she shouted, trying to cover her face.

"I don't want you to do anything dirty! Just have fun and go with it!" It took her a minute, but Kayla finally loosened up. A few songs later, someone bumped into her and sent her stumbling into Ben. He caught her, their faces being so close that they were centimeters apart from kissing. They stared at each other, wide-eyed.

"Sorry," Kayla blushed as she straightened herself up."

"It's okay."

"Hey, Rodgers!" Ben turned his head at the sound of his last name, "I heard you were good at sake bombs!"

"Really now? Who told you that?"

"I don't remember! Is it true though?"

"Ben…" He shrugged.

"What's it to you?"

"If it isn't, will you still do one anyway?"

"No, thanks."

"If you don't, I'll tell your girl about your sex life!"

"Ha! Go ahead!" he shrugged, "It's not like you know or she cares anyway." The other boy came closer and mumbled something in Ben's ear; his brow furrowed and he glared at the other boy.

"Just saying," he said smirking and walking away. Ben chugged what was left in his drink and handed it over to Kayla.

"Ben, what do you think you're doing?"

"Defending my honor!" Kayla shook her head and sighed. She took a look at what was left in her cup and gulped it down. She ditched the cups and made her way through the crowd, trying to find Cameron. He, however, found her first.

"Heeeey! My pretty lady!" he hugged her from behind, reeking of alcohol.

"I'm surprised you recognized me. How many drinks have you had?"

"About….six? Yeah, six."

"Where'd you disappear off to?"

"Oh, I found eye candy and then he became non-eye candy. Didn't like his style though. Where's Ben?"

"He went to defend his honor or some shit like that. It involves sake bombs." Cameron shook his head.

"Stupid bastard." A roar erupted from the direction Kayla came from.

"You think that's him?" Kayla asked.

"Most likely. There's a frat here that's notorious for manipulating freshmen into slamming drinks, and bets are placed. Someone won at another's expense. Come on." They weeded their way back and discovered several freshmen semi-sloshed, but were still lucid; some of the fraternity members were grinning.

"That one bribed Ben." Kayla pointed at a guy counting a huge wad of cash.

"Ah, shit," Cameron scowled, "That means probably drunk off his ass somewhere; I don't see him here." Kayla stood on her tip toes and craned her neck, trying to see over the crowd.

"Well," she lowered herself back down, "Let's look around. Do you think he would try to go back towards where I was?"

"Maybe, but he's probably so drunk he doesn't know his left from his right."

"If you guys are looking for Ben," one of the participants pointed in the direction they were facing, "he went that way. And said something about a girlfriend or whatever. Did he mean you?" Kayla raised an eyebrow.

"Probably, but we're not dating. He's still single as far as I know."

"Not after tonight," the other guy scoffed, taking a gulp of his drink.

"What's that supposed to mean? I'm not even drunk!"

"Let's stick to the task at hand, alright?" Cameron grabbed her arm and began to pull her to where Ben supposedly went.

"Cameron, do you know something that I don't?" He didn't answer. "Cameron?"

"I know a lot of things that you don't; what difference does it make?" Kayla scowled at him, but didn't respond. "Look! There he is!" Ben was a few yards away from them, gripping the trunk of a tree for dear life.

"Ben, are you okay?" Kayla asked, concerned about his current state.

"The world's turned sideways," he slurred, "so I don't know."

"Jesus….how many sake bombs did you have?"

"Mmm…anywhere between eight and ten." Both Kayla and Cameron's eyes widened.

"Can you walk?" Cameron questioned. Ben let go of the trunk, took a few steps forward, and promptly face planted. Although Cameron was more sober, he burst into laughter at Ben's fall.

"Oh man! You are totally wasted! Completely and utterly fucked up!" Ben rolled over onto his back, confused at his current location on the ground

"Pathetic," Kayla shook her head, "Ben, give me your keys?"

"Why?"

"Because there is no way in hell that I'm letting you drive me back, nor do I see you being able to go back to your dorm without our help." Ben forfeited his keys to Kayla's extended palm.

"Does that mean we're gonna have a slumber party?" Cameron asked, suddenly excited.

"What other choice do I have?" Ben mumbled.

"Yay!"

"Will you help me get him up? I'm not doing too well." Both Kayla and Cameron helped Ben up to his feet and proceeded to help him across the lawn to his dorm room. When the trio reached his building, Kayla realized something crucial.

"Crud, Ben I need your ID."

"I got it, sweetie." _Sweetie? _She eyed him as he pulled his ID out of his wallet and reached past her to scan it; the door unlocked and they dragged him in.

"Your room's 513, right Ben?"

"Mhm. All the way to the top."

"Trust me, you're past that." The elevator doors opened almost immediately after Kayla pressed the button.

"Alright, ladies! Everyone in the birdcage."

"Who are you calling a lady, lady?"

"You, ya gay bastard!" Ben teased, pushing Cameron a little.

"Shut up, ya drunk!" he laughed, shoving him back.

"Shhhh! Shut up! You're going to wake up the whole building." Ben hugged her a little.

"Sorry," he whispered. She smiled at him. When they reached his room, Ben reached into his pocket out of habit.

"The fuck are my keys?"

"I have them."

"Oh, right." Kayla unlocked the door and they led him to a futon and sat him down.

"Whoa!" Ben exclaimed as he went down, taking Kayla with him. She furrowed her brow and her face turned a bright shade of red.

"Hey there," he winked; she slapped his cheek. "Ow!"

"Let go of me!"

"I'm just messing around, Kayla!" he unwrapped his arms from her and sat up, rubbing his cheek, "God that hurt!"

"Serves you right," Cameron grabbed the remote control and turned on the TV, "Remember what I told you earlier." As the screen brightened, Kayla heard the familiar opening tune of one of her favorite old-time TV shows.

"Leave it," she told Cameron as Rod Serling began to speak.

_You unlock this door with a key of imagination._

_Beyond it is another dimension: _

_A dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind_

_You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas_

_You've just crossed over into…the Twilight Zone. _

"I like this show," Ben smiled, "it's trippy."

"Yeah, it is," Kayla smiled. At commercial break, Cameron got several water bottles for Ben so that he could sober up a little quicker. Two and a half hours later, Kayla was beginning to drift off to sleep.

"Want to pull the futon out?" Ben asked, waking her up.

"Please."

"Okay, up. I have extra gym clothes too if you want pajamas."

"That would be awesome," Cameron smiled, helping him pull the futon out. After that, Ben handed his two friends sets of gym clothes and they departed into separate rooms to change. Kayla finished first and went to get blankets out of Ben's closet. As she was pulling out a large comforter, she felt two arms wrap around her stomach; looking over her shoulder, she was greeted with a mop of messy black hair.

"Hey," she murmured.

"Hey," he mumbled into her shoulder, his breath tickling her skin, "I came to help." She blushed and tried to compose herself.

"You're not doing much by standing there." Ben looked at her, grinned, reached up and grabbed some pillows. Then, due to the excess liquid courage still flowing through his system, he pecked her cheek. Kayla's face darkened and he felt her body stiffened, but her facial expression proved that she wasn't angry at him. He grinned a little wider and unwrapped his arms from her middle.

"Will you help me back over there? I almost fell on my way here." She nodded, too flustered to speak.

"What's up?" he placed his hands on her face, "Mad at me?" She stared at him, fear visible in her eyes and shaking.

"Uh-no. No, I-I'm not mad," she stammered, "I just didn't expect you to do that. God damn it! Stop grinning at me!" He leaned in and kissed her forehead, "and….for the love of God," her voice had dropped down to a whisper, "… stop kissing me. If you want sex it's not going to happen, so stop leading me on." Ben's grin had faded.

"I don't want sex...if you don't like me that way just say so." He was whispering now too.

"Ben-"

"You know I like you, Kayla. Not everyone is the same." She stared him down for a moment longer, then reached up and hugged him with one arm, kissing his cheek.

"Okay," she whispered, taking a deep breath, "I'll trust you." He smiled and squeezed her against him.

"Still need help walking, in case you've forgotten." She giggled, grabbing his hand and leading him toward the futon.

"You falling asleep?" Cameron asked, poking Kayla's cheek. The three of them had retreated under the large comforter and it was now close to one o'clock.

"No."

"Liar," he smirked.

"I did the best I could," she rolled onto her back and closed her eyes, "Goodnight."

"I want a good night kiss," Ben muttered. Her eyes opened again and her brow furrowed.

"You want one too, Cam?" she asked.

"Sure, why not?" _Boys._ Kayla rolled her eyes and moved to her left.

"Goodnight," she pecked Cameron's cheek.

"Thank you. Night, sis." Kayla rolled over to her other side to kiss Ben, but she never made it to his cheek. Ben's face had suddenly become very close to hers; close enough, actually, to kiss Kayla on the lips. Her eyes widened, and she was momentarily paralyzed from the shock, but she relaxed and returned the kiss. They broke away and gazed at each other, her face turning several shades of crimson.

"Goodnight!" she turned away, pulling the comforter over her head. Ben moved under the comforter, successfully finding his way back to Kayla's mouth; this time, she didn't hesitate to kiss back.

"Goodnight," he whispered.

No one turned the TV off that night; after _The Twilight Zone _mini marathon, Cameron had changed it to re-runs of _Breaking Bad_ and fell asleep in the middle of "Caballo Sin Nombre." A while later, the signal was disrupted and a test screen was displayed with the words "PLEASE STANDBY." The high pitched sound somehow managed to wake Ben out of his drunken slumber. He squinted at the bright screen, not fully comprehending the unusual test screen; he reached over for the remote, shut off the TV, and moved back down next to Kayla. He didn't wake up again until bright rays of early morning sunshine began to penetrate his eyelids. He groaned as he opened his eyes; his migraine headache was a clear sign that a hangover was starting to settle in. _Jesus, I should've never participated in that drinking challenge. Never again! _Kayla stirred a little, subconsciously wrapping her arm around his waist. He smiled and kissed her forehead, waking her up.

"Good morning," he whispered as her eyes slowly opened. She looked up and smiled,

"Morning. Are you all sobered up?"

"I'm getting there," he rubbed his temple, "Damn, my head hurts. Why did I go through with something so stupid?"

"You were defending your honor."

"Pff, I wasn't defending my honor," he pulled her closer and closed his eyes again; "I was trying to prevent something bad from happening to you." She raised her eyebrows. "He said if I _didn't _participate, that he and his buddies would find a way to spike your drink. Couldn't let that happen."

"Idiot, you'd be more useful sober."

"I realize that now. Pride got in the way."

"For the record, I threw our cups away after you took off….if that means anything."

"Good." Kayla leaned forward and kissed his forehead.

"Does that help?"

"A little," he smiled. She pressed her forehead against his, both of them falling asleep within minutes.

Kayla was out on the balcony, dressed in last night's clothes. It was actually a nice day that day; it had rained for most of the prior week, but the sun had come out, revealing a bright blue sky. She inhaled deeply, enjoying the crisp scent of fallen leaves, clean air, and fallen rain. The view below her wasn't anything to be amazed about, however; there were red solo cups, paper plates, napkins, toilet paper, and a lot of other disposable items strewn all over the grass and in the trees. A student sporting the same Greek letters of the fraternity that hosted the sake bomb contest stumbled over a hill and across the lawn. Kayla shook her head as she watched. _Bastard's still drunk. _Some of his buddies approached and began to talk with him, but something wasn't quite right. Kayla was too far away to hear anything they were saying, but she could tell by the sober ones' body language that something was off with their friend. The drunk frat boy lunged at one of them, sinking his teeth deep into the others neck. The screams were blood curdling and drew more people to the sight. Kayla was standing straight up, looking around at the crowd of students. Everything seemed okay, until she noticed the people that were the farthest out were stumbling around in the same manner. She backed up slowly to the open sliding glass door, her eyes still glued to the spontaneous cannibalism going on below. She closed the door as soon as she crossed the threshold, shaking like a leaf.

"Kay?" Cameron went to her as she sunk down into a chair, "Kayla? What's the matter?" She swallowed and shook her head, mouth agape like a cod fish. _It can't be what you think it is, it can't be what you think it is. There's a logical explanation…now think! Think, damn it, think!_

"Bath salts!"

"What?"

"T-there's a guy out there on bath salts. I-I just watched…."she looked back up through the door at the clear blue sky. _It can't be what you think it is. _Cameron went outside and looked down over the balcony.

"Holy shit!"

"What the hell's going on out here?" Ben rounded the corner and joined Cameron on the balcony.

"What the fuck….." Kayla managed to stand back up and walk back out to review what she had previously seen; it was getting worse. There were other people eating each other now, and some of the dead ones were sitting up and adding to the carnage.

"You see what I see, right?" Ben asked, looking at his friends. Cameron looked back at him, and then looked at Kayla.

"Kayla?" She was pale and she was standing completely still.

"If what you're seeing can be blatantly described as 'zombies'… then yes." They went back inside, Kayla slamming the door behind them; Ben jumped onto the futon, pulling up the blankets to look for the remote. He turned on the TV and the annoying high pitched sound of the test screen came through.

"What the fuck is going on?!" he shouted as he flipped through the channels; each one bore the same test screen with the same words on them. Finally, he managed to get through to a news station. The reporter looked disheveled and utterly terrified

"We're reporting from Los Angeles…the CDC has issued a full quarantine on the city. It is advised to the rest of the state, as well as the country, that you stay indoors and wait for help to come. Do not attempt to reach out to loved ones. I repeat: _do not _attempt to reach out to loved ones. It is crucial that everyone stays indoors and waits for help to come. If there are any more updates, they will be broadcasted immediately." The three of them grabbed their cell phones and immediately began to dial their families. Cameron's line picked up first.

"We're sorry, the number you are trying to reach is currently unavailable."

"What?" he hung up and began to redial.

"What happened?"

"It was unavailable. I'm trying again." The other two got the same unavailable message and redialed also.

"We're sorry, the number you are trying to reach is currently unavailable."

"DAMN IT!"

"We're sorry, the number you are trying to reach is currently unavailable."

"FUCK!" Cameron gave up, almost throwing his phone in frustration.

"I couldn't get through either," Ben hung up, "Kayla?" She still had her phone pressed against her ear, a look of disbelief spread over her face.

"Kay?" She looked at the two boys and put her phone on speaker.

"We're sorry, the number you are trying to reach is currently unavailable. Please try your call again later. We're sorry, the number you are trying to reach is currently unavailable. Please try your call again later." She hung up and all of them just stared at each other.

"What do we do?" Ben asked absently. As if someone had heard him, his phone rang. They all jumped as he looked at the ID.

"It's my mom!" he quickly accepted the call, "Mom? Mom! Can you hear me? Are you okay?"

"Ben-_scratch scratch_- don't-_scratch scratch_- no one-_scratch scratch_."

"Mom, you're breaking up. What's going on?"

"No one-_scratch-_find better shelter-_ scratch-_love-_scratch scratch_-I love you, Ben."

"I love you too, Mom." He was cut off. "Mom? Mom! Damn it."

"What did she say?"

"I couldn't really hear her. She said something about finding shelter." Kayla thought for a moment. This couldn't be happening; she read about stuff like this, played video games, watched TV shows and movies, but it was never real. One thing was for certain: if they stayed in Ben's dorm, they would die.

"She's right. We can't stay here."

"What are you talking about?"

"We can't survive here, Ben. We have enough food to last us a few days, but after that we'll have to leave." She stood up, "Do you have any sports equipment? Or hardware? We need blunt or sharp objects."

"Y-yeah. In that room," he pointed over her shoulder. She entered and began to rummage through the mess.

"Kayla, what's gotten into you?" Cameron asked.

"Listen, we know what's going on out there. It doesn't seem real, but it is." She tossed him a baseball bat, "I want us safe….and if reading about apocalyptic situations and war has taught me anything, it's that we have to move. If we stay here for much longer, we'll be dead."

"But Kayla, they said not to go outside."

"I don't care what they said! They were reporting from LA! By the time they reach Fresno there won't be a way to access the rest of the state; forget about the rest of the country. We need to get going as soon as we can." She finished rummaging through the room and handed Ben a hammer, "I want us safe. It seems completely insane right now, but it will be beneficial." He nodded and took the hammer.

"We need a better view of the grounds; is there any way to get to the roof?"

"It involves leaving the apartment."

"That's the risk we're going to have to take." Ben lead them to the front door, but paused with his hand on the door knob.

"What happens should we run into….them?"

"You hit them in the head as hard as you can…..just like _The Walking Dead_." He nodded.

"Just checking," glanced over his shoulder at his friends, eyes falling on their weapons, "Really, Kay? A screwdriver?"

"This isn't really the time to discuss makeshift weapons right now, Ben. We'll come back and I'll find something else, alright?"

"Fine." The three of them burst through the door and sprinted down the dimly lit hallway to the elevator.

"I don't get it," Kayla looked down the hallway as Ben jammed the up button, "It's…..empty. Where is everyone?"

"They're not like you, Kay," Cameron started, "They're going to try to wait it out until the CDC or the army or someone comes to rescue them….but we know by that time, it'll be too late." The elevator doors opened and they rushed inside, Ben immediately pressing the "R" and "close door" buttons.

"Do you think they'll get inside?" Ben asked.

"They probably will eventually," she twirled the screwdriver in between her fingers, "Animals will do anything to get to their prey." Ben swallowed; the way Kayla had said "animals" wasn't sitting with him too well.

"Cover me when the door opens, like in the video games we played," she commanded as the elevator stopped. The doors opened, Ben and Cameron exiting first, checking around the corners.

"You're clear, Kayla." She exited and began to look down at the grounds.

"How's it looking?"

"Not too good," she admitted as she walked along the roof's edge, "We'll need to gather what supplies we can. If people are as stupid as we think they are, we'll have no problems getting into town to get more. If we _do _run into problems…."

"Like what?"

"Well, if there's total anarchy and no one's at the checkout, at least money won't be an issue. Everything else we'll just have to be on guard for. The west side of campus looks pretty clear and it will be safer to go that way because of the woods. There's no way to get to your car, Ben, I'm sorry." He shrugged.

"It's too small to plow through zombies anyway." He earned a smirk from Kayla.

"Come on! We're wasting time."

There wasn't much in Ben's dorm room that was worth taking, but they managed to get at least a day's worth of food, half a week's worth of water, and enough blankets to keep them warm. After rummaging through his roommate's separate domains, Ben managed to find another baseball bat and Kayla had taken a paring knife, a chef knife, and a few serrated knives out of the kitchen drawer. Upon breaking into the supply closet at the end of the hall, they were able to grab a first aid kit as well as toilet paper and paper towels. Nonchalantly, Kayla led the boys into the girls' showers, (they shrank back against the door nervously after realizing where they were) and began to smack a large metal box on the wall with one of the bats in attempts to break the lock. Once it burst open, it was like she won the jackpot of feminine products; Ben's face turned bright red.

"What?" she asked as she began to shovel feminine products into the very front pocket of her backpack, "Did you think I just never had my period?"

"You never really let on when you were on it," he mumbled.

"Well," she stood up and slung the backpack over her shoulder, "get used to it." She patted one cheek and kissed the other. "We need one more thing, then I'll give this back to you." One good swing was enough to shatter the glass box surrounding the fire ax. As they descended the staircase (taking the elevator seemed too risky at this point), Ben and Cameron managed to get axes for themselves, stowing them away in their backpacks. Surprisingly, the west side of campus was still the clearest area if campus by the time they got to the bottom of the stairwell; there were a few zombies here and there, but nothing they couldn't handle.

Kayla signaled them to crouch down and she slowly propped the door open with her foot.

"Listen, our main goal is to survive. If we get separated, keep running. Don't look back, and most importantly, don't get bitten." A final glance outside signaled that they were good to run.

"Go!" The door closed behind Ben and the three of them sprinted towards the woods. A few zombies tried to make a grab for them, but Kayla and Cameron took them down without a moment's hesitation. None of them had run so fast in all of their lives; none of them looked back until they were at least a yard inside the wood's edge. Breathing heavily, they took one last glance at their school. It was a good thing they left when they did, because now a large heard of undead began to fill the one clear area of campus.

"What now?" Ben asked. Kayla turned back toward the tall trees.

"We keep going."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Day 1**

The town closest to them was roughly five miles away. The sun was beginning to set by the time they reached the town's outskirts.

"I think we can go out on the road now," Ben suggested.

"I agree with you on that," Kayla adjusted her backpack, "It looks okay, but stay alert. We don't know what to expect." The three of them slid down the semi muddy hill to the road and continued their trek. A few minutes later, a truck sped past them almost knocking Kayla off her feet.

"Whoa!" Ben rushed up and caught her.

"Asshole! He could've at least honked." Another car sped by a moment later, followed by several more cars.

"Oh no," Kayla muttered, and began to run in the same direction the cars were going.

"Kayla?" Cameron called out as the two boys followed suit. The trio soon found out why the few vehicles on the road were speeding: the town looked like it had just been through several riots. People were running back and forth across the street into stores, grabbing as much supplies as they could carry. Many were raiding the gun shop, taking anything from rifles to handguns to crossbows.

"Shit, this is worse than I thought," Kayla remarked, "Okay….we need to stay together. Food and water first."

"What about weapons?" Ben asked.

"You can make a weapon out of anything," Cameron remarked, "Yeah, it's nice to have a gun or something, but what happens if you run out of ammo? More importantly, do you even know how to fire a gun?"

"You have a point…and no, I don't know how to fire a gun."

"Then why bother? Come on, let's go." They stayed as close to the buildings as they could, avoiding the streets. Two men were fighting over meat; one was gunned down. The gunshots sent more people into panic and added extra adrenaline to the young adults crouching on the sidewalk.

"Come on!" Kayla finally led them into the only major grocery store the town had, knowing the general store would probably be empty at this point. They made a grab for almost anything they could: granola bars, trail mix, canned goods. Ben at one point grabbed a pot and pan and shoved them into Cameron's backpack. Kayla found reusable water bottles and stowed them away for future use.

"I think that's all we can carry right now," Ben stated, "We've got enough food to last us a while."

"We'll have to find water at some point, too," Kayla mentioned, "I grabbed what I could as well as reusable water bottles, but that's one of our biggest necessities."

"We need one more thing: medicine. Wait here," Cameron turned and sprinted down toward the pharmacy. He found the door unlocked to his surprise, but as he was grabbing various antibiotics off the shelf he heard an unnerving click and felt something press against the back of his head.

"Leave, now," a voice growled.

"Hey, man," Cameron prayed that his voice wasn't shaking, "I just want some antibiotics."

"What the hell for? You bit?"

"No, I'm clean."

"Hands up." Cameron did what he was told, the medicine clattering on the linoleum. A hand grabbed his jacket and forced him to turn around. Cameron was shocked; the person holding him hostage was about his age.

"Listen," Cameron tried to persuade him as he searched his pockets, "I just need antibiotics. It's only a few boxes; there are several hundred more in here and of multiple kinds."

"Don't fuck with me," the gun was now pressed against Cameron's forehead, "I need stuff too."

"What is it that you need? You can't possibly need all of this; your body can't handle that many meds. Whatever it is that you need, I won't even put a finger on it. You have my word." The other boy eyed him for a moment, not moving.

"Clozaril, Thorazine, or Prolixin."

"Just those three?"

"Yeah."

"Okay," Cameron nodded, "I won't take those. I just want what I dropped. Can you handle that?"

"What are they for?" Cameron saw Kayla slowly poke her head around the corner, holding a knife as if she were ready to strike. He tried to shoot her a look to tell her to back off.

"I have a friend…she's like my little sister. They're for her in case she gets sick. I have another friend too, he might need them." The boy finally lowered his gun and rubbed a hand down his face.

"Go ahead, take 'em."

"I'm Cameron, by the way," he said as he picked up the scattered boxes.

"Alex."

"Well, Alex, thank you for letting me have these."

"Don't mention it."

"Take care, Alex." Cameron shot Kayla a glare as he rounded the corner and they made their way out of the small pharmacy.

"Are you insane? You could've been killed!"

"You could've been shot. I wasn't going to let that happen."

"Whatever," he put the antibiotics in his backpack, "Where's Ben?"

"He was right here," she began to scan their immediate surroundings. As she continued to search, panic began to well up in her eyes. "I don't see him, do you?"

"No, I don't. Are you sure he was here when you came in?"

"Yes! He was standing right outside this door," realization suddenly spread across her face, "He went to the gun store." They sprinted outside and across the street, practically bursting through the store front.

"Ben!" Kayla called out, "Ben! Where are you?"

"Maybe he went back, Kay."

"No, he couldn't have. Not yet. Ben!" Cameron suddenly placed a hand on her shoulder; he had gone completely silent.

"Keep very quiet," he whispered, pointing to a mirror at the top of the wall, "Look." She looked up into the mirror and saw in its reflection that Ben seemed to be in a barter of some sorts; his weapons and some of the food he had picked up were spread out on the floor in front of him.

"Fuck…what do we do, Cam?"

"I wouldn't interrupt their trade, whatever it is. Out of the three of us, you and I have the more valuable items. From the looks of it, we can regain whatever it is he's trading."

"Food's an important asset, Cam."

"I know, but we can find more."

"Hands up! Both of you!"

"Shit!" Both of their hands flew up.

"Backpacks, on the ground, now!"

"Sir, we don't have anything to give you," Kayla tried to sound convincing, "We just came to look for our friend."

"Did I ask you, princess?" Kayla felt something cylindrical and metallic press up against the back of her head. Strong hands seized their collars and they were pushed into the back room where Ben was.

"Are these two your friends?" the man behind them asked. Ben didn't answer, but his facial expression was enough to clue the gun shop runners in. The one that was doing a deal with Ben looked directly at Kayla and grinned.

"She's pretty," he walked up to her and gently stroked her cheek, "How old are you, love?" Kayla scowled at him, not taking kindly to the pet names these two men were calling her. Across the room, Ben was seething and clenching his hands into tight fists. The dealer turned back toward Ben, still grinning.

"I think I found my form of payment," he said, seizing Kayla's long curly hair. Cameron inhaled sharply and took a step towards them, only to have a gun shoved into the back of his head once again. Ben was beginning to see red.

"I don't want to make a deal after all," he growled.

"But you were so eager to get a bow from me. Why the change of mind? Is it because of her?" He shook Kayla's head, making her grimace.

"That's exactly why." Ben was on the verge of snapping. The dealer chuckled.

"You already showed me what you have there," he pointed to the floor, "and I don't want any of it. I want her…her for a bow." Kayla found her opportunity as she was speaking and brought her foot up to his knee cap, kicking as hard as she could. The dealer let go of her hair, and she elbowed him in the face. Cameron grabbed the barrel of the rifle and forced it down, dragging the gunman with it. He fired, the bullet ricocheting and, almost miraculously, hitting him in the shoulder. During the scuffle, Cameron and Kayla were pushed up against Ben, and the three of them stumbled away from the two men. The one that had grabbed Kayla by her hair was aiming a 40 caliber gun at them.

"Now listen here, you sorry son of a bitch," he growled, blood dripping from his nose, "You hand her over or I'll put a bullet in you!"

"Go ahead, then. I already said I didn't want to do the trade, and I don't think she's key to your survival unlike the food I have there."

"You really want to go this way?" Ben didn't answer. The safety clicked, but the gunshot they heard didn't come from the 40 caliber. Kayla was a little disoriented and her cheek was pressed against the cold concrete; there was no telling who had gone down first, but all three of them were on the floor. She was staring wide-eyed at the two dead bodies of the men that had held them at gunpoint just moments before.

"Cameron?" she whispered.

"I'm okay, sweetie," he patted her arm, "I'm okay."

"Ben?" No answer, "Ben!" She sat up and saw he was alive, but pale and stunned.

"Ben?" She put her hands on his face and forced him to look up at her, "Hey….are you okay? Are you hurt?" He slowly shook his head.

"No….I'm fine," he sat up and slowly put his arms around Kayla, "I'm fine."

"Jesus, they're just kids!" The trio looked at the doorway and saw a small group walking towards them, a woman in the lead.

"You guys alright?" she asked, pulling out a flashlight and shining it in their eyes.

"Think so," Cameron answered.

"Oh my God, what are you doing out here?"

"Trying to do the same thing you guys are," Kayla responded, "Survive."

"How do they look, Dianne? Did I hit them?"

"No, Don. Not a scratch on them."

"Who are you guys?" Ben asked.

"We're Oath Keepers. We were supposed to train up in the mountains this weekend, but…well…we got stuck. I'm Diane, that's Don, Julius, and Sylvia."

"Thank you, for helping us," Kayla said, "how did you know we were here?"

"We saw that one lead you back here," she nodded her head toward the man with the rifle, "Figured something fishy was going on. If you guys are okay, we need to get going."

"Are you guys going up to the mountains or are you going back home?"

"Back home, we have families we need to check up on." Kayla nodded.

"I hope you find them," Ben told her.

"Thank you. You guys take care now."

Kayla led them out through the back doorway; once they were outside, she immediately turned around and pushed Ben up against the wall.

"What did I say?" she shouted, gripping his shirt, "What did I fucking say?"

"Kayla, I-"

"Tell me what I told you when we first got here!" Ben inhaled deeply.

"That we need to stay together."

"Do you understand _why _I said that? Maybe I made it seem like it was like some sort of video game or TV show, but it's not! Jesus, Ben! You were almost killed! And over what? A fucking bow?! You don't need that to kill zombies!"

"But I need it to hunt! I know how to hunt, and there's only so much you can do with a few knives and snares." She looked down at the bow in his hand, a deep frown forming on her face. She shook her head as tears began to form.

"Just….don't…." Ben pulled her into a hug, "don't fucking do it again."

"I won't, I promise."

"I don't mean to intrude on your special moment," Cameron interrupted, "but in case you have forgotten, we're in a fucked up town where people are killing each other over supplies. If we want to live, I suggest we book it." Kayla wiped her eyes and the three of them kept to the back of the buildings making their way out of town. When they reached the other end, Kayla noticed that the man who had forcibly won meat earlier had been shot; his prize was gone. She shook her head.

"What a waste of ammo. And over something that would last a day. Pity."

Ben was starting to feel dizzy. He did his best to ignore it, but failed as he stumbled into Kayla.

"Sorry."

"Ben, are you okay?"

"I feel dizzy," he took off his backpack and leaned against a tree trunk, "It's like my body forgot it was hungover. Shit…I think I'm going to puke." He took a few deep breaths and his statement came true. He kneeled and Kayla rubbed his back as he continued to empty what little contents he had in his stomach.

"Here," Cameron handed him a bottle of water, "You're dehydrated." Ben took a sip and continued to take deep breathes.

"We should make camp," Kayla looked up at Cameron.

"Yeah, you're right. It's going to be dark soon and we haven't eaten much of anything all day. I'll go get some mediocre firewood."

"Stay close."

"I think I'm done," Ben said, wiping his mouth, "Can you give me my toothbrush? It's in the very front pocket of my backpack." Kayla fulfilled his request and gave him a tube of toothpaste she had picked up.

"Thanks." Kayla hugged him from behind and placed her head between his shoulder blades as he brushed his teeth. When he was done, he kicked dirt over his vomit, turned around, and hugged Kayla back.

"Come on," she took his hand, "you should rest." They went a few feet deeper into the woods and placed their backpacks down; Ben pulled out a blanket, wrapped himself in it, and laid down, his head against Kayla's thigh.

"Drink some more water."

"Yes, captain," he sat back up.

"I'd appreciate if you weren't sarcastic right now. I'm really worried about you." He looked at her, taking a long gulp from his water bottle.

"I didn't mean to sound sarcastic; I was just teasing you." He grinned and bumped her shoulder; she didn't respond.

"Come on," he bumped her again, "You know you want to smile."

The corners of her mouth turned upwards slightly, but she quickly forced them back down.

"Oh! What was that? Do I see a smirk there?" Kayla finally smiled, shaking her head at him.

"You are something else, Ben. You really are." He hugged her, resting his head on her shoulder.

"Seriously, now, get some rest. I'll wake you up when we're ready to eat."

"Okay," he kissed her cheek and resumed his position on the ground. A little while later, Cameron had collected enough firewood to maintain an acceptable fire and began to warm up cans of soup.

"You knew about this, didn't you?" Kayla asked Cameron, "About what Ben was planning to do."

"What he told me was that he was going to ask you out. What happened was something totally unexpected. However, you two seem to be hitting it off quite well despite what's going on." Kayla casted her gaze down towards Ben; she had been running her fingers through his hair and it was starting to look less messy.

"Cameron…I don't think this should be happening."

"Why not?"

"Because…our main focus is surviving. Anything outside of that might be distracting."

"Are you shitting me, Kayla? You _like _him and he's obviously head over heels for you! You can't give him mixed signals, zombie apocalypse or not. I get that you're scared, but you can't keep everyone out, him especially. Let him in; he's a good guy."

"Your hour's up," Ben said quietly.

"It hasn't been an hour," Kayla protested.

"Yes," Ben pressed the light up button on her G-shock, "It has. You may not be hungover, but you do need rest."

"This might be the first time I've heard someone willingly turn down sleeping in," she slouched down a little more, her back against the tree truck.

"I'm sorry about earlier," she murmured, "I shouldn't have yelled at you."

"No, you had every right to. I could've made a bow, but I figured I could get a better one from the shop. I didn't think anyone would be in there. I realized something today…..when you said that animals will do anything to get to their pray, I knew you meant the zombies, but it applies to people too. That guy was so hell bent on getting me to trade you, but I'm even more hell bent on making sure nothing bad happens to you. I'd _never _consider trading you or Cameron for anything." Kayla pecked his cheek.

"He didn't know who he was dealing with."

"Get some sleep," he smiled, "You look like you need it."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Test**

"Kayla, wake up," Cameron gently shook her. She rubbed her eyes and yawned; a small frown formed once her eyes had opened.

"It's dawn already?"

"Yup."

"And you didn't wake me for my shift?"

"You really needed the sleep," Cameron eyed her, "You've been moving a little sluggishly lately."

"I have no idea what you're talking about; I feel fine."

"Mhm, sure. You still needed to rest."

"Where's Ben?"

"Checking his snare; he should be back in a minute." Sure enough, Ben was walking toward them, carrying a rabbit in his hand.

"For later," he held it up, "Do we have some water to spare?"

"A little why?"

"I just feel gross. I'm not asking for a full blown shower; I just want enough to get the sweat off."

"That can be arranged," Kayla smirked, "I wouldn't mind doing that myself actually. We have creek water that hasn't been purified yet; we can use that." A few minutes later, Kayla had begun to set up a blanket to separate her from the boys and Ben was taking his shirt off.

"You ready?" Cameron asked, "It's going to be cold."

"Yeah, I'm ready." Cameron poured a small stream onto Ben's head.

"WHOA that's cold!" he gasped as it ran down his neck and onto his shoulders and chest. He rubbed the cold water all over his skin in an attempt to get a good amount of the dirt off.

"Your turn," he said to Cameron once he was done. Cameron stripped off his shirt and gratefully accepted the dousing of cold water.

"Jesus!" he repeated Ben's process.

"Kayla, are you ready?"

"I guess," she shrugged. Ben moved closer to her, standing on the opposite side of the blanket.

"_Don't _look at me," she warned, pulling off her jacket, tank top, and bra, "Okay. Go for it." Ben tiled his wrist, sending water into her head. She inhaled sharply.

"Shit! You weren't kidding."

"You'd think the dorms would've taught us how to deal with cold showers," Cameron scoffed, "It always seemed like we were out of hot water."

"Seriously," Kayla remarked.

"Really? It always worked in my dorms."

"Yours were newer. Kayla and I got screwed."

"You said it!" Suddenly, several walkers came out from behind the tree on Kayla's side of the blanket.

"GUYS!" she pulled the paring knife from her boot and dove straight at the first one; knocking it down and driving her knife deep into its eye socket. The other two were down within a minute.

"You alright?" Cameron asked her.

"Yeah," she wiped some water off of her forehead, "Thank God I put my shirt back on," she teased. Cameron, however, was not in the joking mood.

"Why didn't you help?" he asked Ben.

"I-I'm sorry…I guess I just froze."

"You can't freeze up out here," Cameron responded sharply, "If you do, you're dead." The day continued on; there were several more zombie encounters, and each time it seemed like Ben froze. By the time they were going to set up for camp, Cameron had had enough.

"I haven't seen you kill one walker today," he snapped, "Not even an attempt to help."

"What do you want me to say?" Ben snapped back, "I freeze up when I get scared sometimes!" Cameron rolled his eyes.

"You need to learn," he walked away.

"What's his problem?" Ben turned to Kayla. She shook her head and shrugged. A few minutes later Cameron came back, pushing a walker in front of him.

"Cameron."

"What the fuck man?!" Ben began to back up.

"Kill it," Cameron commanded him. A very large tree stopped Ben from going any further.

"Cameron, knock it off!" Kayla shouted.

"He needs to learn, Kay. Kill it, Ben!" He came closer.

"Cam, stop!"

"Kill it!" Kayla drove a knife into the zombie's skull and Cameron looked at her in disbelief.

"I told you to stop," she said. His brow furrowed and he threw the walker to the side.

"I'm going to get firewood," he grumbled as he stormed off. She sighed and looked at Ben.

"You alright?"

"Yeah! Never better!"

"You don't have to get pissed at me, Ben. I didn't know he was going to do that."

"I'm sorry," he sighed, "I just….I'm not used to this." Kayla hugged him.

"It's okay to be scared," she whispered.

"No, it's not. You're not scared and neither is Cameron."

"I am, Ben. I am scared. I think the same can be said for Cam. We just…react differently to it. But he _is _right."

"Then why'd you kill it?"

"Because I think there's a better way that you can learn. I don't know what the hell's going on with him."

"He's been taking double and triple shifts. He says it's so you can sleep."

"Jeez, that man. I'm _fine_!" Cameron came walking back with a medium sized bundle of kindling.

"We're going to go back to our regular shifts," Kayla told him, "No more double and triple." He looked at her and then at Ben.

"So much for not telling her."

"She asked."

"Can you guys do me a favor? A couple of them actually. One, stop acting like high school girls; I'm sick of you two doing things to spite each other. Two, stop keeping things from me. If you remember anything from _Walking Dead_, or _Supernatural_,or any of those shows they kept secrets from each other and it never bode well for them. Yeah, I get it was scripted, but honestly this is life or death right now; the more secrets we keep from each other the worse off we are. ¿Comprenden?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now let's cook that rabbit Ben caught earlier."

The three of them shivered violently; the nights had always been cold, but on this particular night the temperature dropped thirty degrees from the daytime.

"Jesus," Ben wrapped his blanket around him tighter, "it's so fucking cold."

"Maybe we should all try to sleep under one blanket," Kayla suggested, "We'd all be sharing body heat and we'd be a little warmer." The two boys moved closer to her and they spread their blankets around each other.

"That's a little better," Ben admitted, "what do you think, Kay?"

"I still feel cold, but not as cold," she said.

"I hope we find shelter soon," Cameron muttered, "so we don't have to sleep out in the cold forever."

"I'll take first watch, both of you go to sleep."

"No, Kayla you've taken first watch all week," Ben protested, "I'll take the first watch."

"Really, Kayla, you should let him," Cameron agreed.

"Fine, but we're all doing regular shifts. One hour each." She slumped down a little more, and closed her eyes to go to sleep.

"You got this right?" Cameron asked.

"Yeah, I got it."

"Alright." Cameron shifted and began to go to sleep. After Ben had been up for almost an hour, Kayla moved and rested her head on his shoulder. He looked and smiled; she may have been asleep, but it didn't matter to Ben.

"Cameron," he whispered, reaching over and nudging Cameron's shoulder, "it's your turn." He woke up, and sat up straight.

"Thanks," he whispered, "I've noticed that…I don't dream anymore. It's just dark."

"You okay, Cam?" he asked, concerned for his friend's well being.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just go to sleep." Ben rested his head on top of Kayla's and slowly drifted off to sleep. The next morning, as Kayla and Ben were packing up his hand accidentally brushed against hers; her fingers were ice cold.

"Kayla, can you feel your hands?"

"Not really."

"Here," he took her hands in his and began to blow warm air onto them. Warmth spread throughout her hands and arms, and she began to blush.

"Is that better?" he asked, still holding onto her hands.

"Yeah," she smiled, "Thank you." For a moment, they thought that they were going to kiss, but Kayla saw Cameron a yard away from them and she took her hands out of Ben's.

"What's our game plan for today?" Cameron asked as he came closer.

"Just get to another town. Maybe try to find some warmer clothes if the stores haven't been completely cleared out."

"Do you think we could stay there…instead of out here?" Ben asked. Kayla thought for a moment.

"Maybe. If it's secure enough."

"Sounds good. Let's go." A few hours later, they reached another small town. Much like the previous one they had visited, it looked like it had been through multiple riots; the only difference was that there was no one in sight.

"Do you think anyone could be holed up in here?"

"There's a possibility." They walked into what used to be a small boutique and attempted to find warmer clothing.

"Hey, Kayla!" Cameron called out, "Come here!" She went over to where he was standing and saw he had some articles of fall and winter clothing in his hands.

"Here," he handed her a pair of fingerless gloves, "these look like they'd fit your tiny hands."

"They're cute," she smiled, pulling them on, "I like them."

"I'm not done," he wrapped a blue and black checkered scarf around her neck and placed a gray beanie on her, adjusting it so that in fit the back half of her head and covered the top of her ears, "There ya go! Now you look cute _and _badass." She smiled.

"Thanks, but I'm far from a badass."

"Ben and I beg to differ," he whispered, hugging her.

"Cam, it doesn't look like there's anything here for us," Ben rounded the corner, "should we try another store?"

"Yeah, why not?" He moved out of the way and Ben saw Kayla in her new accessories.

"Wow….Kayla you look really cute." She blushed.

"Dang it, I can't resist!" he moved forward and grabbed her cheeks, making Cameron laugh.

"Ben, stop!"

"I'm sorry! It's just so cute!" He let go of her cheeks, grinning.

"Come on, let's go." They ventured back outside, the two boys in front and Kayla trailing behind them. Without warning, a walker reached its arm out and grabbed Kayla's ankle. She yelped as she fell, smacking the ground and kicking as much as she could; the walker wouldn't let go. Another came around the building and made its way toward Kayla. Cameron took care of the one by her ankle and, to everyone's surprise, Ben swung a baseball bat at the other with all of his strength, breaking its head in half.

"You okay?" he asked, looking back at her. She nodded and he looked back at his walker kill.

"We should get going," Cameron helped Kayla up, "It'll be nightfall before too long." They two of them began to walk away, but Ben remained motionless.

"Come _on_, Ben!" Cameron said, sharply. Kayla walked over to Ben, looked at the walker and kneeled down, searching through its pockets. She produced a wallet and stood back up.

"His name was Brian Walker," she said to him, "Twenty-two years old. Went to our school. He had twelve dollars to his name when he died. And he's an organ donor." Ben nodded and Kayla threw the wallet back down.

"You know now," she told him, "They're just like animals." He nodded again, draping his arm around her shoulders. She hugged his abdomen and the three of them began to walk away. Ben didn't have any more issues with killing zombies after that.


End file.
